Free Bird

Melissa McMahon

February 3, 2009

Journal on Jewett

"Sylvie's heart gave a wild beat; she knew that strange white bird, and had once stolen softly near where it stood in some bright green swamp grass, away over at the other side of the woods."

Sarah Orne Jewett had impeccable talent when it came to her writings and the visuals that she conjured with a simple stroke of the pen. Wikipedia remarks on her writing talents by quoting: Jewett possessed a keen descriptive gift that William Dean Howells called "an uncommon feeling for talk—I hear your people." In her short story, "A White Heron," Jewett takes us on an incredible journey of discovery, acceptance, and truth. The main character of Sylvie learns so much about herself when she is asked to hunt a rare and beautiful bird that she has seen on her frequent trips to the forest- the elusive White Heron. As Sylvie learns, she is very much like the White Heron- and her adaption to and acceptance of the nature around her transforms all that Sylvie had once understood. Her loyalty to the White Heron symbolizes Sylvie's own freedom- and the freedom she has now granted to that amazing creature.

Jewett was much like the White Heron she wrote about in her stories. She was a rare creature- educated, free, and loved by many around her. She wasn't afraid to live life in a way that was not considered "normal" for the time. Her father insisted on her education, and she had the luxury to make her life as a writer. Her later relationship with Annie Fields- with whom she was involved in a "Boston Marriage" with- (when two women live together, support each other much in the way a husband and wife would,)-really shaped and brought life into her stories. It seems as though Jewett put much of herself and her loved ones into her work- she did write "A Country Doctor" in honor and because of her father, and she seems to mirror Sylvie In "A White Heron." Her affection for the one's she held close obviously fueled her creative side. Jewett packed much into the short life she lived- and left behind a blueprint for later authors to follow. Her way with dialogue and her talents with charaterzation are an astounding example of how an author like Jewett can be embedded in history for all time.